Learn some common Turkish idioms
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What are some common Turkish idioms? |
| Dilek: And how are they used? |
| Michael: At TurkishClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee hears an idiom she is unfamiliar with. She asks her neighbour, Gulten Kandirali, |
| Michael: What does "what came to the head is endured" mean? |
| Karen Lee: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| Gulten Kandirali: "Bu durumla başa çıkmalısın" demek. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| Michael: "What does 'what came to the head is endured' mean?" |
| Gulten Kandirali: "Bu durumla başa çıkmalısın" demek. |
| Michael: "It means 'you have to deal with this situation.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, you'll learn about Turkish "idioms," or |
| Dilek: deyimler. |
| Michael: Idioms are metaphorical expressions, so they contain meanings that are not evident from the words alone and should not be understood literally. A good example is the English idiom, "a piece of cake," which, rather than referring to a literal piece of cake, can also mean that something can be done very easily. |
| As we do in English, we often use idioms in Turkish to better illustrate or stress the message we are trying to convey. Let's now take a look at a few common Turkish idioms: |
| Dilek: Arpası bol gelmek. |
| Michael: This literally means, "to have more barley than necessary." It is a slang expression that is used when someone is taking unnecessary risks. For instance, it is appropriate for when someone who is seemingly fortunate takes a risk just for the thrill of it. Listen carefully as Selin repeats this phrase and then try to copy her pronunciation: |
| Dilek: Arpası bol gelmek. [SLOWLY] Arpası bol gelmek. |
| Michael: Before moving on, let's hear this idiom in a sample sentence: |
| Dilek: Arpası bol gelen ergenler ırmağa atlıyorlar. |
| Michael: "Unnecessary-risk-seeking teenagers are jumping into the river." |
| Michael: Turkish people often use imagery involving body parts to describe different situations. This can be seen in our next idiom, |
| Dilek: Dilinin ucuna gelmek. |
| Michael: This literally means "comes to the tip of your tongue." It is slang for expressing that you came close to saying something inappropriate. Listen and repeat: |
| Dilek: Dilinin ucuna gelmek [SLOWLY] Dilinin ucuna gelmek. |
| Michael: Perhaps the closest English equivalent is the idiom "to spill the beans." Remember to use this idiom when you come close to revealing a secret or saying something you didn't intend to say out loud. Here it is in a sample sentence: |
| Dilek: Tuğba'nın kıyafeti çok kötüydü. Dilimin ucuna kadar geldi ama birşey demedim. |
| Michael: "Tuğba's dress was horrible. I almost told her, but I didn't." |
| Michael: Now for our third idiom: |
| Dilek: Ağzı kulaklarına varmak. |
| Michael: This literally means that someone's mouth is almost in their ears. Listen carefully and repeat: |
| Dilek: ağzı kulaklarına varmak [SLOWLY] ağzı kulaklarına varmak. |
| Michael: An English equivalent could be the expression "smiling from ear-to-ear," as the idiom also refers to a very broad grin when someone is extremely happy. Here is a sample sentence: |
| Dilek: Piyangoyu kazanmış, ağzı kulaklarındaydı. |
| Michael: "He was so happy because he won the lottery." |
| Michael: Note that many Turkish idioms are similar to the Turkish people — they are unpretentious and often show great common sense. They also often illustrate the strength and endurance of Turkish people in the face of great adversity. The next idiom exemplifies this: |
| Dilek: Acı patlıcanı kırağı çalmaz. |
| Michael: When directly translated, this idiom means "a bitter eggplant is unaffected by frost." Its true meaning, however, is that nothing can hurt a person that is already hurt. Listen again and repeat: |
| Dilek: Acı patlıcanı kırağı çalmaz. [SLOWLY] Acı patlıcanı kırağı çalmaz. |
| Michael: You can use this idiom to describe a tough and courageous person who keeps going despite any challenges that they encounter. Here it is in a sample sentence: |
| Dilek: Özge işten atılmış ama acı patlıcanı kırağı çalmaz. |
| Michael: "Özge got fired, but she has seen so much in her life so this won't hurt her." |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's now review the sample conversation from the start of the lesson: respond to the prompts by speaking aloud, and then listen carefully as the native speaker models the correct answer. Repeat after her, with the focus on your pronunciation. Are you ready? |
| How do you say, "What does 'what came to the head is endured' mean?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Selin as KL: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. Remember to focus on your pronunciation. |
| Selin as KL: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Selin as KL: "Başa gelen çekilir" ne demek? |
| Michael: The meaning of this Turkish idiom |
| Dilek: Başa gelen çekilir |
| Michael: is that you are much stronger than you think, so you can survive any situation that you are faced with, even if you think that you can't. Furthermore, this idiom points out that you must deal with the situation, as you have no other choice. |
| Michael: Let's move on to the second sentence of the dialogue. How do you say, "It means 'you have to deal with this situation.'" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Selin as GK: "Bu durumla başa çıkmalısın." demek. |
| Michael: Did you get it right this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Selin as GK: "Bu durumla başa çıkmalısın." demek. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Selin as GK: "Bu durumla başa çıkmalısın." demek. |
| Michael: An English equivalent for this idiom is "What cannot be cured must be endured." This reflects the Turkish people's pragmatic approach to suffering, which is to endure one's fate with courage. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: In this lesson, we learned about several Turkish idioms — expressions whose meanings are not evident from their literal translations alone. As they are in English, idioms in Turkish are often metaphorical expressions of a universal truth, and they are usually used to better illustrate or describe something or someone. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: There is a lot of historical information that is hidden within idioms. For example, consider |
| Dilek: İki dirhem bir çekirdek |
| Michael: which literally means |
| Dilek: two dirhem one çekirdek. |
| Michael: This is how the most valuable Ottoman gold was weighed during the Ottoman times. Nowadays, this phrase is used, for example, to refer to someone who is nicely dressed. It's like telling them that they look like gold, which is considered a compliment. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Dilek: Hoşçakalın! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
Comments
Hide